A Family Affair
by Moussaillon de Havilland
Summary: Everyone seems to be doing Jack's daughter fics. What about Barbossa's daughter? No pairings. It's post AWE, contains teensy weensy spoilers. You've all seen it by now anyway, right?
1. Escape

**Disclaimer : No own, just love. Except Ethel. She's mine. Arr.**

She tore through the thick forest, running blindly in the dim moonlight. She didn't know where she was going, and it didn't matter, as long as it was away from the men chasing her with their hounds and guns. Branches scratched her arms, rocks scraped her bare feet, and she was so preoccupied with her escape that she almost didn't notice the steep cliff that had suddenly appeared before her. Stopping in her tracks, she realized she had nowhere to run. She flitted her eyes around frantically as the footsteps and shouts came closer. Not knowing what else to do, Ethel leapt off.

Her arms strained, gripping the hilt of the dagger she had driven into the earthy ledge. It was the only thing between her and a watery grave. The ocean below was churning against sharp rocks that would be quite hard to miss. A soldier peered over the cliff, but the ledge hid her.

"She must have fallen," said the man. "Her body should wash to shore in the morning." There was a brief silence, and then the fading sound of footsteps. Ethel waited for what felt like hours, listening. When she was certain that none had stayed behind, she stirred. She needed a foothold.

After a time, she managed to drag herself back up onto the cliff, plunking her dagger down next to her. She had just exhaled a sigh of relief when she turned around to face a man she had not seen for ten years. Captain Barbossa.

"Hello, Ethel," he said. Ethel looked startled. She eyed him warily as he stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight, unsure as to whether she should hug him or run.

"I guess yer not a skeleton anymore, then?" she asked, settling for a neutral response.

Barbossa grinned wryly. "No." Ethel nodded and looked around.

"Great." There was a silence as the two pirates sized each other up. The years had not been kind to Barbossa, Ethel concluded. His hair, which she had always remembered as being brownish red, was now more of a faded red. Ethel squinted. Greyish red? No, it was grey. And he'd acquired a scar, right across his left eye. Fancy that. His blue eyes were yellowed around the iris and red around the rim. His skin was ruddier than she'd remembered, too. And wrinkly. Very, very wrinkly. Not the handsome pirate captain of her memories but an old salt. By god, he was an old man now.

It had been ten years since Barbossa had laid eyes upon the young woman before him. She had outgrown her gangly adolescent awkwardness, her features finally fitting in place. Her unruly red hair had tamed itself, vaguely. At least it stayed in place under her bandana now. Thick lashes rimmed her blue eyes, giving the illusion of kohl. She had become a woman, Barbossa thought.

"So what are ye doin' here?" Ethel asked in her South Irish lilt.

"A little bird told me ye were in trouble," Barbossa replied.

"I was, but I wouldn't peg ye as the sort te sail clear across th'sea to help me out of a mess."

"Man's got to look out fer 'is own daughter."

"Well, ye be a bit late fer that, _Da,_" she said, emphasizing the title with a tinge of bitterness. "Don't know if ye noticed, I sprung myself out of that jail."

"I did notice."

"In which case, thanks fer nothin'," Ethel brushed past him. "I'll see you in another ten years."

"Who did ya think it was that shot the prison guard, Ethel?"

She stopped in her tracks and a grin spread across her face. "Don't suppose that was you?" she said, turning around. Barbossa pointed to his pistol by way of confirmation. "You know," she said, "I do need a ship."

**A/N :** **And so shall begin the adventure! Next : A very important somebody is onboard the Black Pearl**


	2. Where's Jack?

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of it except Ethel.**

The ship loomed before them. Unlike Ethel's father, the Black Pearl didn't look any different than she had ten years ago. Her sails and her timbers were black as night. Ethel looked around her as she walked up the gangplank behind Barbossa. She had never noticed the figurehead. It was an angel blowing a trumpet, and its face bore an uncanny resemblance to her own. When they boarded the ship, a crew of burly, grimy looking men gathered around, staring at her. Ethel suddenly remembered that she was wearing a dirty cotton shift and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Gents, you remember my _daughter_, Ethel," Barbossa said, daring any of the men to make lewd comments. "She'll be comin' with us on our little journey." There were murmurs throughout the crew. Barbossa's eyes narrowed. "And if I hear _any_ of ye lily-livered bilge-rats say 'tis bad luck te have a woman aboard, I'll hang ye by yer thumbs over the yardarm." The murmuring ceased. "Do I make meself clear?" A general _Aye sir!_ came from the crew and they dispersed, returning to their duties. Barbossa turned to Ethel. "That be a hideous dress," he said. "No daughter of mine will be lookin' like a beggar. Go to me cabin, there's a change of clothes for ye there."

Ethel headed below deck and found a wine-colored dress with black lace trim waiting for her. She hadn't expected Barbossa to be so . . .doting. The last time they had seen each other, he could talk of nothing else but aztec gold. He told her he was cursed, and would remain so until the debt was paid, and said something about Hernando Cortez and a bootstrap. _Stay in Ireland_, he told her, _lest ye stumble upon the same fate._ Ethel hadn't believed him. She knew he was a pirate, that the sea called, and that he didn't have time for taking care of a silly little girl. What better way to abandon her than to frighten her into chasing after you? She was left fatherless, and never having known her mother, thirteen year old Ethel became an orphan. For a while she jumped from ship to ship, crossing the Atlantic in hopes that she might land upon the Pearl. Finally she gave up and became a pirate in her own right.

And yet, no matter where she was, she always listened for stories about a black ship with black sails.

Once changed, she headed back to the main deck where she found Barbossa surveying his men. She cleared her throat and he turned to face her. "Thanks fer the dress," she said. He nodded. "I've been meaning te ask you something," Ethel said tentatively. She knew she was approaching a touchy subject.

"Ask away," said Barbossa.

"Where. . .where's Jack?" Though Ethel had been young, Jack had made a lasting impression. He was always at Barbossa's side, she remembered. He was so loyal, so true. One was rarely there without the other. Jack was always finely dressed, with jackets and shirts that she knew were custom made. And Jack didn't seem to mind that Ethel was a young girl. They had become fast friends. Sometimes she thought he was her only real friend. She had always wondered what became of him after her father left. Jack would only serve Barbossa, and when she hadn't seen him among the crew of the Pearl, she feared the worst.

"He's onboard," Barbossa said. "He's just been a bit more independent lately." Ethel looked around.

"I don't see 'im," she said skeptically.

"Probably up in the rigging somewhere," Barbossa replied, and he had hardly finished speaking when a small capuchin monkey dropped from the ropes onto his shoulder. Without missing a beat, Barbossa reached up and scratched the creature on the head. "There, ye see?"

"Jack!" Ethel said happily as the monkey hopped over onto her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"We'll be weighin' anchor at first light," Barbossa said. "If ye want te get some shut-eye, there's a day bed in me office. I trust ye can take care of yerself?"

"'Course I can," Ethel replied, avoiding his gaze. "Did fer ten years."


	3. The Heading

**A/N : First of all, a shout out to **_**shariena , Piratesfanatic**_**, and **_**BG Sparrow**_** for reviewing! I'm glad you guys like it ! Next order of business : it might be a while before I get to updating again. I have finals this whole week and next, and then I'm heading to Sonoma State for a music master class for a week...I don't think I'll have my computer until after then. So sit tight. I shall not abandon you! Go see Pirates 3 while you're waiting! ...Onwards!**

**Also, I own Barbossa, the Black Pearl, Pintel, Ragetti, Jack the monkey, POTC and all other Disney franchises. **_**On opposite day!**_

She watched Barbossa walk off, and noted the way the crew responded to him. Without saying a word he commanded respect, and everyone seemed to stand a little bit straighter as he walked by. Jack tugged at her hair and she absently petted him as she walked back below deck. Barbossa's office was opulently decorated with persian rugs, paintings, and large bay windows looking out to sea. Certainly nicer than the last ship she had been on, Ethel thought, plopping down on the daybed and taking it all in. Suddenly, the emotions of the past few hours bore down upon her like a weight, and she curled up on the bed. The ship rocked softly back and forth, lulling Ethel into a sense of peace. Soon she was asleep.

When she awoke the ship had already set sail and land was nowhere in sight. All she could see through the bay windows was the open sea. _Home at last, _she thought. There was a knock at the door. Stretching, Ethel got up and answered. Standing in the doorway were two men. One was tall and lanky, with greasy blonde hair and an eye patch. The other was shorter. His gut stuck out and he had long, thinning gray hair. Eyepatch held a fruit basket and Potbelly had a loaf of bread. Ethel raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?" she asked.

"W-well," Eyepatch stammered, "the cap'n, he just thought you'd be 'ungry, what wif escapin' from jail and all."

"He told us to bring you this," said Potbelly, thrusting the bread into her arms. He nudged Eyepatch, who promptly handed her the basket.

"Give 'im my thanks, then," Ethel said. She walked to the table, where she set down the food. When she turned around the two were still there, watching her with a child-like curiosity. "What?" she snapped.

"Wha's it like?" asked Eyepatch.

"What's what like?" Ethel asked, confused.

"Having Barbossa as your da," he said. Potbelly looked over at him as if he could hardly believe his friend's stupidity.

"T'ain't half bad, so far," Ethel replied honestly, picking a shiny green apple from the basket.

"I wonder if 'e'd give _me_ dressies if I was 'is long-lost child. . ." Ethel took a bite and looked at him with wonderment.

"Wo's your name?" she asked with her mouth full.

"Ragetti," said Eyepatch, "and him over there is Pintel." She offered them a grin that felt slightly forced.

"Pleasure," she said. "Say, Pintel, ye wouldn't happen te know where we be headin' on this little venture, would ye?" Somehow the fat one seemed to be more aware of the ship's going-ons than Ragetti.

"Er. . ." Pintel said uncertainly.

"Bloody 'ell," Ethel said and pushed past the two of them, "I'll just ask the cap'n meself."

She found Barbossa on the top deck, supervising his men. Jack was on his shoulder, occasionally fidgeting or trying to braid his long scraggly hair. Upon seeing her, the monkey jumped up and down and squeaked excitedly.

"'Ey, Jack," she said and scratched his head. "So," she looked at Barbossa, "how goes th'work?"

"Not half bad," he said. "Ye rested?"

"Aye." No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible for her to begin a conversation normally with the man. "What's our heading?" Barbossa pursed his lips.

"We don't have one," he answered.

"Eh!?" Had she heard him correctly? "No heading?"

"Ye remember the lad what captained the Pearl before?" he asked, and Ethel nodded. "He's got the charts te where we want te go. Last I heard he was heading out this way. The Pearl's the fastest ship there is. We'll overtake him in a few days, no doubt about that."

"And then?"

"The charts lead te Florida, and what lies there be greater than any treasure ever buried."

"What would that be?"

"The Fountain of Youth."

**A/N : Thank you to crazy-emerald-blue for pointing out my mistake about Ragetti's wooden eye. I am proud to say that he now has a cute little eyepatch instead!**


	4. Chartman

**A/N : Well, I couldn't help meself...wrote a chapter just to keep the momentum going! (Okay, and I was procrastinating...does anybody NOT do that?). Hearts to sasquatchpacific and aniek90 for reviewing ch. 3! The next chapters will (hopefully) not be so fluffy. if any of you have any ideas for plot, I'm always open to suggestions! (I've still got plenty of ideas of my own, but ya know...!)**

**Oh, and, I only own a fish named Beckett. He's not in this story. All other Disneyish things belong to the Man.**

A few days later Ethel was sitting on the railing at the stern of the ship, gazing out to sea. No matter which ship she was on, this was always her favorite place to think. It was easy to get lost in a sea of thoughts with only a sea of blue in sight. The small waves were topped with white crests of foam today. There were little white spots as far as the eye could see. When she was a girl, Ethel used to try to count them. She focused on one particular speck now. It seemed larger than the others, and it bobbed up and down in the waves like a bird. Was that a bird? They were too far out to sea for it to be a gull... strange. Very strange. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the strange white speck. Nobody had. She squinted and shielded her eyes against the sun. _What _is_ that?_ She squinted more, and as the Pearl moved toward the mystery object, Ethel realized what she had taken for a bird was actually a white sail. _Aha! The chart-man! _She hopped down from her spot.

Barbossa was in his cabin, drinking a glass of red wine, eating an apple, and writing an entry in the log. Suddenly the door burst open. Almost instinctively he reached for his gun. It was a well known policy that no sailor was to enter the captain's quarters without knocking first. The punishment was death... But there was his daughter in the doorway.

"Got some great news for ye, Captain," she said. Barbossa looked at her, his annoyance melting away.

"And what be the news, miss?" he asked

"The bugger with the charts, I saw him an' he's naught but a stone's throw away."

"By the powers," Barbossa exclaimed, grabbing his spyglass and walking out to the rail. All it took was a glance for him to be sure. Lowering the spyglass, Barbossa allowed a trace of a smile to escape onto his lips. "Well done, Ethel," he said, almost more to himself than to his daughter.

Soon the Pearl was right next to the tiny jolly boat, and within moments its sole passenger and his effects were onboard. Ethel took a good look at him. From the stories, she had always imagined the one who gave up the Pearl as a scrawny kid, similar in physique to Ragetti perhaps, with little charm and no gall whatsoever. And yet here he was, with black eyes slicked with an even blacker kohl; with a white shirt billowing open to show his tan, firm chest; with beads and trinkets laced into his dreadlocks. This was not the boy she had been expecting. There was no way this man was the simpering fool who stole the charts. He was facing Barbossa, and the crew stood in a circle around them.

"I thought we were lookin' fer the chart-man," Ethel whispered to Ragetti, who was standing beside her.

"We was," he whispered back, "and we found 'im."

"Welcome aboard, Jack," Barbossa said to the man with a sneer. _Jack?_ thought Ethel, _like the monkey?_

"Ah, Hector," said Jack, and even Ethel winced at the use of his first name, "we meet again. 'S been too long, mate." Jack scanned the crew, and Ethel's stomach dropped as his black eyes stopped on her. "I see you've brought a wily wench onboard!" He walked up to her and bowed with mock flourish, then grabbed her hand to kiss it. Ethel wrenched it away and made to cuff him across the jaw, but he caught her arm. "I'm startin' to catch on to this," he said thoughtfully, then let go of her. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, luv. My name is _Captain_ Jack Spa–"

"_Don't_ ye be tryin' te pull any o' that 'captain' business!" Barbossa cut in. "Ye've got the charts," he said, drawing out the word _charts_ with an evil sort of glee, as if repeating the punch line to his favorite joke, _"_and that makes ye Chart Man."


	5. That Tortuga Wench

**A/N : Sorry this chapter took so long:**

**Disclaimer : disney still not mine.**

Jack and Barbossa were sitting in Barbossa's cabin. Barbossa had his feet propped up on the table in front of him and Jack was leaning back in his chair, occasionally picking at his fingernails.

"Telling ya, mate, I am positively _shocked_ that you managed to find me," said Jack.

"'Twasn't that hard, Jack," Barbossa replied. "People talk."

"Of course they do," Jack replied, "I'm Captai-"

" I know who ye are, Jack," Barbossa cut him off. "But per'aps ye'd like te change yer title te Chart Man?"

"Oh, shut it," Jack said. He leaned forward and took an apple from the fruit basket on the table. "I've got to hand it to you, though," he said in a confiding tone. "For once you've found yourself a decent wench." Barbossa raised an eyebrow. "Picked 'er up in Tortuga, I can tell."

"Is that what ye think?"

"There's nothing _wrong_ with Tortuga wenches, you know. God knows that one fills out a dress better than, say, Elizabeth."

"Jack," Barbossa said with a dry, decidedly unfriendly chuckle, "ye want te know somethin' else about that_ wench_, Jack?" He took his feet off the table and leaned in so that he and Jack were eye to eye. "She's me daughter."

The devilish grin quickly dropped from Jack's face. "Oh," was all he managed to squeak out. Barbossa leaned back in his chair, satisfied with Jack's obvious discomfort.

"Now, about those charts," he said, "Why don't ye hand them over?"

"Oh, no. Not makin' that mistake again, mate," Jack said decisively. Then his eyes lit up. "Unless," he said thoughtfully, "you make me captain of the Pearl."

"No, I don't think I'll be doin' that, Jack."

"No deal then!"

"Let me make somethin' bright and clear to ya," Barbossa said, calmly taking out his gun and pointing it at Jack. "I'll be takin' them either way."

"Why would you want the charts to World's End, Barbossa? You've already been there, and take it from someone who spent a nice amount of time in the lovely locker- there's not much in terms of scenery, mate."

"Ye forget, Jack, that I'm not a half-wit like ev'rybody else. I know the charts lead to other places."

"So you know," Jack said, calculating his words, "of other places to which the chart leads."

Barbossa glared at him, annoyed. " 'Course I do. _Other places_ like the Fountain of Youth. Discovered by Juan de Leon, a man so thirsty for eternal youth he slew all in his way to get it. To this day he guards the fountain, and all those who wish to drink from it must pay a price."

"Something near and dear to your heart," Jack said. "So what do you plan on gifting to our dear old friend Juan de Leon, Barbossa?"

Barbossa grinned sardonically. "A whole bushel of apples."

"I'll bring the rum, then."


	6. The Truth

**Wow, so many reviews! Thank you, my children! lol. Yes, chapters should be posted more quickly now, as it's summer and I have nothing better to do.**

**Do I really have to do a disclaimer? Seriously?** _...watch me get sued for that one._

* * *

_Rum_, thought Jack as he left Barbossa's quarters, _where does Barbossa keep the rum?_ In the brief time he had reclaimed the Pearl, Barbossa had managed to reorganize everything. He headed down to the hold in hopes that the rum might be where he'd left it. As Jack descended into the belly of the ship, he heard the sound of glass shattering and a string of curse words. His eyes widened. _The rum!_ He ran faster and found Barbossa's daughter standing among shards of shattered glass and a puddle of amber liquid with a scowl upon her face.

"No!" he cried, rushing to the scene of the accident and falling to his knees. "Ah! The rum! Gone! Why?" The scowl on her face turned to an incredulous look.

"B'cause I dropped it, ye cretin!" she snapped. "An' since yer already down there, help me pick up this mess." Jack looked up at her in shock. He'd only been given commands by one woman before, and she was now Pirate King. Was this girl more than the vapid Tortuga wench he had first taken her to be?

"All right then, Miss Barbossa," he said, but whether he was sarcastically testing her limits or submissively obeying her order was unclear.

"It's Ethel," she said impatiently, and then, "Don't forget that piece of glass o'er there." Jack gave her a look of utter vexation and stood up.

"You don't know who I am, do you, darling?" he asked, drawing himself up so that he appeared taller.

Ethel squinted an eye. "Nope," she said, noting that he looked disappointed.

"I am _Captain_ Jack Sparrow!" Ethel snorted, almost inaudibly. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say something funny?" asked Jack.

"Not at all, _Captain_," she said with a grand gesture, then turned around and left Jack standing amongst shards of glass and spilled rum.

* * *

That night, Ethel knocked on the door of Barbossa's cabin and waited for an answer. She'd learned procedure by now.

"Jus' come in," came Barbossa's voice from inside. Ethel walked in cautiously, finding him at his desk, as usual, with a glass of red wine and an apple. "D'ye need somethin'?" he asked.

"I want te know what we're _really_ doing on this voyage," Ethel said seriously.

"I'm not quite sure I catch your drift," Barbossa replied.

"You expect me te believe that we're going on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth? I'm not one o' yer superstitious dunderheaded pirate fools. It doesn't exist."

"Oh, but it does," Barbossa said.

"Just like Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman? Just like supernatural voodoo women who turn into sea crabs when provoked? Just like yer bloody skeleton _curse_?" she nearly spat.

"Ethel," said Barbossa, pouring a second glass of wine, "why don't ye sit down? It seems we have some things to talk about." He offered Ethel the glass and she took it, taking a seat opposite him. "Ye may have been too young to understand when I told ye of the curse," he said. She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.

"Not bloody likely."

"Hm," he smirked, as if he had heard the reaction before. "Ye ever wonder why we don't feed Jack the monkey?" he asked, his tone changing.

"Er. . ." Come to think of it, Ethel had never seen Jack the monkey eat, aside from nibbling of a peanut every now and again. Ethel chewed her lip and looked at Barbossa. "No idea."

"It's because he's cursed. Took a piece of gold from the Chest of Cortez, he did, right after we lifted the curse from ourselves." He went over to Jack's perch, and the monkey leapt onto his shoulder. "Come outside," Barbossa instructed Ethel. He held the door open and followed her out into the moonlight. Ethel turned around to face him. Upon his shoulder was a moving corpse of a money, its rotted flesh indistinguishable from the tattered rags of its clothing. Ethel's eyes widened in horror. "This is what we became in the moonlight," Barbossa said. "For eight years we searched for the child of Bootstrap Bill, the child whose blood we needed to lift the curse. T'were a long eight years, long indeed. I dared not return home, back to Ireland, back to you, until the curse was lifted. But ye see, I'd not been a free man for a minute when Jack Sparrow shot me. Another year I had to wait then, before the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, Calypso in her human form, freed me from the jail of death. And just when I thought I was free to do as I pleased, I was bound again, this time on a mission to save Sparrow, the very man what had sent me to death, from the Locker of Davy Jones."

"And then you went to a nowhere jail in Antigua, after all that, to save me. Instead of sailing the seas as would a free man."

"Ah," Barbossa said. "But ye forget that I promised ye I'd return." Ethel was struck speechless. All her life she had been bitter, thinking that he'd lied to her and abandoned her, but now she knew he had been telling the truth the whole time. And yet, she could not think of an appropriate response to his monologue.

"Eh. . .so, what was it like, bein' dead?" she finally asked.

"Let's just say," he said, "there's a reason why I'm searchin' fer a fountain that will give me eternal life."

"It can't be that easy," she mused aloud. "There's got to be something more to the Fountain, right?"

"Ye catch on quick, lass. De Leon demands a sacrifice from those who wish to drink."

"Yer not going to sacrifice apples, are ye?" she asked jokingly. Barbossa suddenly looked away.

"Ah, no. Truth be told, I'm giving up the Pearl," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Seems like a fair trade for living forever."

"Aye. And I'll have a long time te get it back." Barbossa paused, thinking. "But if Sparrow asks," he added as an afterthought, "it's a bushel of apples." He turned, heading back for his office.

"Wait," Ethel called after him. He turned around. "What about me? What can I sacrifice?" There was a silence.

"We've got an undead monkey onboard," Barbossa finally said. "Be resourceful."


	7. Never Mind the Apples

**Thank you for the awesome reviews, guys! You make me so happy! (insert smiley face)**

**I am the Disclaimer. Koo koo ka choo.**

"Ah hell, Jack," Ethel said. "I couldn't betray ye like that. Not after all this." The capuchin monkey on Ethel's shoulder wrapped his arms around her neck. "And besides, even if you _are_ undead, yer too bloody cute," she added. "Peanut?" The monkey smiled impishly and took it, then hopped back up into the rigging.

"I got the rum cleaned up," said a voice behind her. Ethel knew it was Jack before turning around.

"Oh, brilliant, old chap," she said sarcastically, facing him. He flashed her a golden smile, which she knew must have charmed many whores in sleazy pirate havens.

"You're welcome," he said with something that was between a bow and a curtsy.

"I wasn't going te thank you."

"I knew that!" Jack said defensively. "You know, just happening to be the daughter of my most esteemed rival does not give you the right to a free reign of terror on my ship." Ethel rolled her eyes.

"Really, Jack. Who do you think y'are? This ship ain't been yours fer ten years at least."

"Just because I was not _present_ for said amount of years does not disqualify my captainship, darling. _Vous savez_?"

"Darlin_'_, every ship I've sailed on, her captain is present and accounted for at all times. _Verstehst du_?"

"I should have you locked in the brig for that sort of language, love."

"Try, Jack."

"You've caught me in a forgiving mood," he said grandly, "and so I shall leave you to your duties. Get to it!"

Ethel watched him leave, noting his exaggerated sailor's strut. He had wit and even a touch of charm, only it was somewhat misdirected. He could easily dupe and manipulate his way to the top of society, of that Ethel had no doubt. And yet he was clinging onto a half-rotten ship with patched sails? He was a strange one, that Jack Sparrow. She looked up and noticed Barbossa watching her from the quarterdeck. He bared his teeth in what bore some resemblance to a sort of fatherly grin, and Ethel raised her hand in a tentative wave.

"Orders, cap'n?" she called to him. Barbossa looked thoughtful for a moment then shook his head.

"As ye were, miss," was his reply before he returned to the helm.

--

"The charts, Sparrow!" Barbossa barked, "what be the heading?" Jack pulled out the circular charts, which he had strapped to his back papoose-style, and shifted them around with his index finger raised in the air.

"I believe. . ." he said, "we are going in a general . . . that way-ish direction. . . of sorts." Barbossa tried to peer over his shoulder, but Jack snatched the charts away. "I'm chartman! My charts!" he said as he shoved them into the pouch on his back. "Trust me, mate," Jack said. Barbossa looked heavenwards in frustration.

"Last time I did that, ye shot me."

"And look where you are now!" Jack said and clapped an arm around Barbossa's shoulder. "Alive, breathing, and I'll bet you've eaten a fair share of apples, ay?" Barbossa shifted his weight away.

"Never mind the apples," he said. "How much longer until we reach land?" Jack took the charts out again, this time rotating them to the left.

"Oh, about three days. No. Hold that," he tapped on the chart as though it was his compass. "Three _weeks_. Sorry, s'been a long time since I tried readin' Cantonese."

* * *

**And now... A Linguistics Lesson!**

_Vous Savez _(pronounced "voo savee") translated is "You know?" in French. It's in formal voice, so you would use it to address strangers or people in a higher position than you. I'm pretty sure that's where "savvy" comes from, considering that Johnny Depp's significant other is indeed, French.

_Verstehst du_ (pronounced "fehr-shtayst doo") is "Do you understand?" in German. It's in the informal, more casual voice (the kind you'd use to address friends or people in a lower rank than you).

**sorry if I got the German slightly wrong. My only knowledge comes from online German tutorials (not the translators) and Bach cantatas.**


	8. Alligator

**A/N : Thank you to soupkitchen (happy bday, ps) , crazy-emerald-blue, The-Flying-Dutchman, and JeanieBeanie33 for the awesome reviews! Did some renovations... I added an extra 's' to my pen name because I noticed today that I spelled it wrong. Not that it really matters, but JUST IN CASE anyone was confused! I also added titles to the chapters.**

**Disclaimer : Only Ethel and the gator are mine.**

Exactly three weeks later, there came the call of "Land, ho!" from the crow's nest. There was excitement in the air as the Pearl laid anchor and dinghies were prepared to row to the coast.

"I fot we'd 'ave to face more sea monsters," Ragetti said to Ethel, who was sitting beside him in a dinghy with Jack, Pintel, and Barbossa as they rowed up a river. "Last time, we had t'fight a giant Kraken."

"A giant Kraken, eh?" Ethel asked. Ragetti nodded vigorously as he rowed.

"Somethin' like that ain't natural!" Pintel chimed in, also rowing. "Bigger 'n the Pearl, it was. Could swallow a man whole." Ethel was still skeptical.

"Let me guess, it swallowed the Pearl?" she asked.

"And me," Jack said, turning his head over his shoulder to face them.

"But you were saved by sea turtles, isn't that it?" Ethel said. "Giant sea turtles the size of islands!" Jack smiled toothily and turned back to the front of the boat.

"I don't understand," Pintel said to her. "The curse has proved itself true enough. Why wouldn't you believe the other stories?" Ethel raised her eyebrows and shrugged.

"Some things ye just have to see to believe, I reckon."

The minute the words left her lips, a massive pair of jaws came from beneath the water and swallowed one of the dinghies in a single _chomp_. Ethel's jaw dropped. Pintel and Ragetti stopped rowing. Even Jack and Barbossa turned around with a terrified look. Bubbles rose from where the dinghy had once been, and suddenly everyone sprung to life again. Pintel and Ragetti rowed frantically as the giant creature emerged from the water, roaring. It was a green scaly reptile, and its jaws seemed upturned in a vicious grin.

"What _is_ that?" Ethel screeched as it snapped at another dinghy.

"That be an alligator!" Barbossa said, though there was no fear in his voice. The alligator smashed its tail into the water and waves swelled around the tiny boats, knocking Ethel overboard.

"Gah!" she cried as stale everglade water went down her throat. The murky water proved to be the least of her worries, for the alligator was swimming towards her at full speed. The dinghy was too far ahead for her to grab onto, and she knew she could never outswim the monster.

"Turn 'er round, gents!" said Barbossa, taking his guns out. He fired a shot at the gator's head and hit it in the snout as the dinghy turned to face it. The alligator turned away from Ethel and toward the boat. It was almost smiling. So was Barbossa. He reached into his pockets and took out two very large grenades, laughing. The alligator was reared up and towered above Barbossa, its jaws open and ready to swallow him whole. He seized the moment and flung both grenades into the creature's mouth. Barbossa was still laughing as bits of fried alligator plopped around him. Jack picked up a piece and chewed on it.

"Not so bad," he muttered as Pintel and Ragetti helped Ethel back into the boat.

"Ye alright, Ethel?" Barbossa asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked at it, and then at him.

"Mm," she nodded. "Thank you."


	9. Leave My Father Out of This!

**A/N : Well! I sincerely apologize for being so slow on updating! Truth is, my muse ran away and I got caught up in other things (like, you know, going outside...) and by the time it came back I was too busy watching Deadliest Catch and Man vs. Wild...heh... Anyway, I hope I didn't put anyone off. The next chapter is already underway! Thank you for the reviews, everyone.**

The boats had reached land, and Jack was taking large, deliberate steps through the wet marshy ground, holding the frayed, circular chart out in front of him as he walked. Barbossa, Ethel, Pintel, and Ragetti were behind him, mimicking his gait, and a group of five men from the other dinghy followed. Cicadas chirped, adding an eerie soundtrack that blended with their soggy footsteps.

"Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four. . ." Jack stopped, one foot still raised in the air. He paused, then turned the chart upside-down, rotated a few pieces around, and turned an abrupt left. "This way," he said and began the same elongated paces as before. "Three, four, five. . ." Pivot. "One, two, three. . ." Suddenly Jack was yanked back by Barbossa. "Hey! What're you doing?"

"Don't move," Barbossa hissed. The entire party halted and Ethel looked from Barbossa to the vast swamplands as she reached to the gun Barbossa had given her. She didn't see anything, _but just in case,_ she thought, _some things you don't have to see to believe_. She noticed Ragetti trembling and even the generally stoic Pintel looked unnerved.

"I'm tired of this!" cried one of the men from the other dinghy. "I ain't stayin' here waitin' ter get et!" And with that cry, he was off, bolting past Ethel, Barbossa, and finally Jack.

"No!" Barbossa shouted, but it was too late. The unfortunate sailor was swallowed, not unlike the other dinghy, in a single _plop_. Barbossa blew out through his nose and rolled his eyes, nodding as if he had expected as much.

"Quicksand," he said by way of explanation, and the swamp let out a burp of a bubble as though in reply. _Sorry, mate,_ it seemed it say. _Couldn't 'elp meself._ "Any o' ye other dullards wish te follow our _learned colleague_, I suggest ye do it now and get out of our way," Barbossa said, irked. Nobody responded, and Barbossa turned to Jack. "Our friend Juan didn't account for the fact that landscapes change."

"I shall keep that in mind, mate," Jack said, and gingerly began walking around the mucky quicksand.

"We sure is lucky to have Barbossa," Ragetti said to Pintel. "Wivout him, it might have been us in that alligator's stomach."

"It was a _crocodile_," Pintel corrected him. "Get yer reptiles straight."

"I thought alligators were in the Americas and crocodiles were in Africa."

"Well you don't know nuffin'," said Pintel smugly as Ethel came up behind them.

"That was an alligator, chum," she said and clapped him on the shoulder. Pintel scratched his head, watching after her as she strolled by.

Barbossa was deep in thought when Ethel tapped him on the arm. "Thinkin' about the Pearl?" she asked. He looked over at her. Truth be told, he was thinking about something far more valuable, but he settled for nodding.

"Her decks need tarring," he said, stepping over a log.

"I thought yer giving her away," Ethel said. If Barbossa was caught off guard, he didn't show it.

"De Leon will only accept a ship if she be in top condition."

"Ah, the Pearl's just fine," Ethel said, but she wondered. If de Leon would only accept a ship in top form–and the Pearl decidedly was not– what would Barbossa do if de Leon refused his offer? And. . . "Will de Leon even accept a monkey? Small price to pay, innit?" No matter how much she loved the creature, it was just an animal. Small price to pay, indeed.

"It could be the sacrifice is only a small part of the process," Barbossa said pensively. "This land be treacherous, riddled with all sorts of obstacles. To weed out the unworthy." _And you nearly ended up one_. This, of course, was left unsaid, but the subtlety was not lost on Ethel.

"Why did you save me, then?" she asked. There was no bitterness in the question, only curiosity.

"One mistake does not unworthy make," Barbossa replied. "Ye be an important lass, Ethel, whether ye realize it or not." Ethel smiled with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yer Lord of the Caspian Sea, and I'm yer daughter," she said. "That counts fer something, I think." Barbossa snorted.

"Lord knows why t'were the Caspian Sea and not the Indian Ocean, all things considered."

"How'd you mean?"

"Means I ain't seen that o'er sized lake in nigh thirty years. But the illustrious Pirate King Teague Sparrow," Barbossa said the name with more than a little acidity, "didn't quite add that into his calculations."

"Oy, you leave my father out of this, Hector!" Jack called back.

"You mind yer own and keep walking, Sparrow!" Barbossa retorted.


	10. Good Fer Yer Blood

**Hey ho, back again! I really want to thank Rommie-CmdrMitth for giving me great descriptions of the everglades. I owe this chapter to you!**

The crew had been following Jack's erratic footsteps through the marsh for hours upon hours, swatting mosquitos and occasionally peeling off leeches. Per Ragetti, leeches were "good fer th'blood." The eye-patched, greasy haired pirate opted to leave them on until they grew fat with his blood and dropped off naturally.

"Don' care what's good for me blood," Ethel muttered, peeling one off of her calf. "Things are right disgusting." The air was thick with insects and humidity, and it felt as though they were walking through a wall of water. Though she had torn a good part of the hem of her dress off in order to free her legs, the heat was still oppressive and Ethel was sweating profusely. She shoved wet strands of hair off her forehead, muttering and cursing as they traipsed along. So preoccupied was she that she did not even come close to noticing the root that stuck up from the ground. Ethel tripped over it.

Barbossa had removed his hat and was wiping his brow with a kerchief when he heard the sound of Ethel spouting profanities followed by a gun shot. He turned around just in time to see one of his men drop dead as Ethel kicked the corpse and spat on it.

"Damn it, girl, what in the devil have ye done?" he roared at her.

"The bugger _tripped_ me!" Ethel screeched back.

"We need all the crew we can get, ye hollow-headed wretch!"

"What'd you expect me to do? Eh?"

"Now, then, you two," Jack suddenly stepped between the two of them. Ethel roared something indecipherable and hit him across the jaw before spinning on her heel and storming off.

"I ain't wasting me time poking around a bloody swamp, with a group of good fer nothing louts, looking fer a goddamn fountain of bloody youth that don't even EXIST!" she called over her shoulder, but once again she was so distracted that she failed to notice a rotted log in her path, and once again, she tripped over it, falling flat on her face in the mud. She lay in the muck for a moment, blowing bubbles before sitting up and wiping off her face. "What in the. . ." she trailed off and her jaw dropped. In front of her was a tiny shack that looked like it was collapsing upon its own weight. The yard was overgrown with marsh plants and swamp weeds that rustled with various everglade creatures, and it was surrounded by a fence made of planks of gray, rotting wood. It had appeared out of nowhere. She stood up and approached it with trepidation. "Hello?" she called out as she walked into the yard. Ethel jumped as a fern rustled nearby, then rolled her eyes when a lizard scuttled out. She took another wary step forward, and a hand grabbed her shoulder. Ethel screamed.

"Ye finished?" came Barbossa's voice. Ethel whirled around and saw that he was followed by Jack, Pintel, and Ragetti. She scratched her nose and looked down.

"Aye," she muttered, embarrassed. "Sorry 'bout Thompson, too," she mumbled. "S' the heat." Barbossa's lip curled, out of either annoyance or forgiveness.

"It be one more dead," he said, patting her shoulder, "and one less mouth te feed."

"And on the subject of mouths to feed," Jack interjected, "or, bodies to rest, for that matter, we have just spent two hours searching for your lovely errant daughter, Barbossa, and _I_ am hungry and tired, and as chart-man, I recommend finding shelter for the night."

Ethel looked at him strangely. _Two hours?_ She thought, _I was gone but two minutes._ Was he exaggerating? But now that she looked around at her surroundings, she noticed that the sun was almost set and a thick fog was rolling in. "What about the shack?" she suggested.

"What shack?" Jack asked, and now it was his turn to look at her strangely. Ethel turned back to the shack, but it was gone.

"It was. . .I saw. . ." she looked around. Was she losing her mind? "It was here!" Then the fog parted, and the rotting wood fence was visible again. _Bloody everglade fog_, she cursed to herself, and raised an eyebrow at Jack. "That shack." Jack cleared his throat.

"Of course," he said. Ethel looked to Barbossa and he nodded.

"For once, Sparrow, ye've a point," he said. "There be no use in searching for the Fountain in the dark."

"Glad you agree!" Jack said as they walked into the deteriorating cabin.


End file.
